What does broiling involve?

Broiling is cooking by exposing food to direct radiant heat, either on a grill over live coals or below a gas burner or electric coil. Broiling differs from roasting and baking in that the food is turned during the process so as to cook one side at a time. Temperatures are higher for broiling than for roasting; the broil indicator of a household range is typically set around 550 °F (288 °C), whereas larger commercial appliances broil between 700 and 1,000 °F (371 and 538 °C).

You can broil something from start to finish, but it's also great for finishing the cooking. In general, flat things work best, like steaks, chicken breasts, or fish fillets, between 1/2-inch and 1 1/2 inches thick. Thicker than that takes longer to cook all the way through, and the outside ends up burning. You can compensate by moving the rack further from the heat, but then you miss out on the browning, and you might as well be baking.

More Info: www.britannica.com

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33 Comments

Jacqueline Tattam

Called ‘grilling’ in Australia & the UK

Merri Sillery

Broiling in the US is normally done in the oven with direct heat from the top. Grilling is done outside on a grill.

Dennis Walker

I was under the impression that broiling resulted from (say) meat being covered when grilled causing steam (a liquid element) to keep it from browning

Veronica Cameron

You mean grilling!

Kathryn Cavanagh

In Australia we call it grilling.!! Broiling is USA talk.!!

Jeniene Glass

Jacqueline Tattam, always wondered when I heard “ broiling “ what they were doing and yes, we Aussies call it grilling 📉🇦🇺

Ken Jackson

Jacqueline Tattam, or barbecuing. Never in my life have I chucked a prawn on a broiler...

Bad Nora

I only know the US version which involves the oven, the upper heating element and usually the "broiling" pan. I stand corrected.

Jaimi McEntire

Jacqueline Tattam, In the US, we call it grilling when it's on a grill (like in a barbecue) also. The only time we call it broiling is when it's in an extremely hot oven, being heated from the top.

Mic Fenst

Agree with others - not the same as grilling, as broiling has the heat source above the substance being broiled.

Christine Watkins

Might as well call it searing!

Omar Mung

A London Broil is when Mother would bake a relatively tough cut of beef with intense heat from above… serving it thinly sliced vertically in au jus.

Kath Thomson

Veronica Cameron, yes if you don’t live in North America. "Broiling" is what Canadians and Americans call cooking with only the top oven element on. The rest of us call both upper heat only and lower heat only, "grilling".

Kath Thomson

Dennis Walker, not so. Anything to do with water is either boiling or steaming. Broiling, cooking with only top element in oven, is the word used by Americans and Canadians. The rest of the English speaking world call it grilling, just the same as heat only coming from below.

Kath Thomson

Mic Fenst, that is only so in the US and Canada. Broiling is never used in Australia, New Zealand, the UK or South Africa. We use grilling for both heat source above and below. Broiling is a foreign word to us.

Kath Thomson

Lisa Rodrigues, Kathryn Cavanagh is correct. The word "broil" is only used in the US and Canada. In the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa both upper heat in the oven and lower heat as with a BBQ, is called grilling. "Broiling" is not in our vocabulary.

Kath Thomson

Bad Nora, yes "broiling" is only used in the US and Canada. Elsewhere we call both upper heat and lower heat "grilling".

Kath Thomson

John W Shreve, only in US and Canada. Elsewhere both upper heat and lower heat are called grilling. We don't use the word "broil".

Kath Thomson

ghostwtr, liquid and heat is called "boiling" not "broiling".

Kath Thomson

Player, no that's called boil. You boil food in water. The US and Canada us "broil" for food being cooked in the oven with only the top element on, that is the heat is coming from above the food. They call heat only coming from under the food, "grilling" as on a barbecue. Elsewhere grilling is food being cooked either from above, usually in oven on grill setting, or from below as on a barbecue. Food cooked in water is called "boiling".

Kath Thomson

Called grilling in Aotearoa New Zealand, UK, South Africa and Australia. Either from above in an oven or below like with a Barbecue. The only countries who use "broil" are Canada and USA.